Both current and next-gen PES will use Fox Engine

A modified version of Kojima Productions' Fox Engine will be used to power both the current and next-generation versions of future PES titles, it's been revealed.

The new engine's scalability, which is expected to be introduced with this year's PES 2014, will mean that both the current and next-gen versions of Konami's football game will benefit from enhanced visuals and "barycentre physics", which offers players "more realistic centres of balance" and a greater sense of physicality.

According to the latest issue of EDGE, the new engine "looks incredible" on PS3, with in-engine visuals that look "near indistinguishable" from the real world. "Only some intricate background detail betrays the CG version," EDGE states. "In terms of quality, think of the Fox Engine 'boardroom' test image... It looks incredible, but we're assured it's all running on PS3."

Though the new engine may debut on current-gen consoles, Konami plans to use Fox Engine to power next-gen versions of PES, too.

"Our new engine isn't limited to the next few years, but [is ready] for next-gen platforms," senior producer Naoya Hatsumi says, as creative producer Kei Masuda hints towards cross-device functionality.

"It is not just about making games for the TV; the engine can adapt to any platform, like tablet or mobile," says Masuda.

"The concern is fewer people will have time to pick up their controllers and play games on the TV. The market has shrunk, so we want to make it possible to, say, edit players on your phone or alter formations, so when you turn on your game, you can instantly start playing with your favoured pre-sets. We want PES to fit around users' lifestyles."

PES 2014 has yet to be officially announced by Konami. Nevertheless, expect it to launch on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC - and potentially PlayStation 4, Microsoft's next-gen Xbox and Wii U - later this year.